First volume in a series dedicated to Paul Hindemith’s (1895–1963) chamber works includes the first three works in his Kammermusik series together with Kleine Kammermusik written for a wind quintet. This album continues a successful series of recordings of Hindemith’s music together with conductor Christoph Eschenbach. This series has earned him, among others, a Grammy award. These recordings of chamber music have been recorded with a group of young promising artists, including pianist Christopher Park and cellist Bruno Philippe who are playing the solo parts in the ‘Concertos’, Op. 36.

Hindemith’s postwar period may rightly be described as a time of new beginnings not only for Hindemith personally but also for the European concert world, both in economic and artistic respects. It was during this time that Hindemith wrote his Kammermusik No. 1 (1922), a work for an ensemble of twelve solo instruments. Through to 1929 it was followed by six solo concertos that he designated as the Kammermusiken Nos. 2–7. At the premieres of four of these works the composer himself performed as an instrumentalist or as a conductor. Hindemith described the special character of such solo concertos for chamber orchestra in 1925, when he evaluated compositions that had been submitted to a competition: “The term ‘solo concerto’ is almost nowhere properly understood. Work indeed is done with solo instruments, but they do not perform in concerto style. In others, the prescribed ‘chamber orchestra’ is merely a reduced large orchestra that […] limits itself to producing a noise similar to the one traditionally produced by the larger groups of musicians but with shriveled means. In my view, this chamber orchestra has nothing to do with a proper chamber orchestra, in which only a few instruments of a very specific character (specified by the work) are in operation and with which genuine chamber-musical work is done.” By the time Hindemith ended the series of his seven Kammermusiken in 1929, he stood at the center of the German music world.

The Kronberg Academy Soloists are outstanding young violinists, violists and cellists who are studying at the institution. Kronberg Academy is today considered one of the most important meeting and training places, and a wellspring of creativity for young string players, and now for young pianists as well. Major concert halls and event organizers regularly invite Kronberg Academy to give concerts in which its students perform together. These include London’s Wigmore Hall, the Louvre Auditorium in Paris, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.

Ever since its founding in 1987 by Leonard Bernstein, the international Orchestral Academy of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival has enjoyed a superb reputation worldwide. It forms the centrepiece of the educational work performed by one of the most important classical music festivals, held annually in the north of Germany. However, with the concerts of its Festival Orchestra it does not only delight audiences in Schleswig-Holstein, but also on concert tours to Europe’s musical centres, North and South America and Asia. Each year, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival assembles an international youth orchestra by vetting students from around the world. Auditions are offered each winter to more than 1500 young musicians. In other words, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra is comprised of the world’s finest young musicians. Since 2004 Christoph Eschenbach is Principal Conductor of the orchestra.

Christoph Eschenbach is a phenomenon amongst the top league of international conductors. Universally acclaimed as both a conductor and pianist, he belongs firmly to the German intellectual line of tradition, yet he combines this with a rare emotional intensity, producing performances revered by concert-goers worldwide. Renowned for the breadth of his repertoire and the depth of his interpretations, he has held directorships with many leading orchestras and gained the highest musical honours. He is also well-known as a tireless supporter of young talent – this is his greatest passion, and he values his contribution to mentoring up-and-coming talent over and above his own distinguished career. As Artistic Advisor and lecturer at the famous Kronberg Academy, he accompanies young violinists, cellists and violists on their way to become world class soloists. Since September 2019 he is Musical Director of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin.